Foresight
by Firefly Alchemist
Summary: Companion piece to Hindsight. Georgiana has fallen in love, but before she feels comfortable accepting a proposal, she goes to her older brother for advice.
**A/N Hey guys, so this is a companion piece to my oneshot Hindsight, though reading the first one is in no way necessary to get this one. This takes place about a year or so after Hindsight, and that's pretty much all I need to say. I'm not super happy with the way it turned out, it's more serious than the last one, but since I took the time to write it, I figured I might as well post it and let you guys decide.**

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Fitzwilliam Darcy rubbed his eyes, the movement stiff and tired. He wasn't quite sure of the time; the light from the window had long since faded to black. The air around him was thick with night, and the candle on the desk in front of him was quickly burning down to a nub.

He stood up, groaning at the strain in his back from sitting in the same position for an extended amount of time. It wasn't often he spent hours on end in his office, but with Elizabeth and the children visiting her parents in Hertfordshire (Darcy himself had mercifully escaped the excursion due to a cold from which he was recovering) he had decided this was the opportune time to catch up on the administrative minutia that went along with running a large estate such as Pemberley. Still standing, Darcy closed the ledger in front of him, satisfied that finally the accounts were in well enough order that his steward could effectively manage the rest.

Darcy straightened his back, stretching his stiff muscles. Just then, a faint shuffle issued from the hallway outside the room. He paused. It was too late for any maids to still be scurrying around, and he had informed his valet not to wait for him to finish before retiring. After a moment, the curious sound was heard again, this time convincing Darcy that it was in fact a person hovering outside his office door. In a quick motion, he had crossed the room and yanked the door open, not entirely surprised by the person he found there.

Georgiana Darcy, on the other hand, was clearly not expecting her brother's office door to suddenly swing open, and she almost jumped out of her skin at his abrupt appearance. "Fitzwilliam!" she cried, hand hovering delicately against her rapidly beating heart.

"Georgiana," Darcy said, trying to sound stern, but finding it quite hard with the small smile playing along his lips. "What are you still doing up? I was under the impression you retired hours ago." Georgiana too, had stayed in Derbyshire (a decision Elizabeth attributed to the presence of a certain young man who was currently residing in Lambton, though Darcy had staunchly refused to accept such an explanation to which his wife lovingly replied that he was being "willfully ignorant" and to "please remove his self-imposed blinders").

"I couldn't sleep," was Georgiana's simple response.

The humor in Darcy's face morphed to concern. "Are you unwell?"

Georgiana shook her head, but after a moment's inspection, Darcy decided that she was a touch too pale for his liking.

"Are you sure, Georgiana? I could send Benjamin for the doctor—"

"Yes, Fitzwilliam," she interrupted. "There's no need to wake the whole country. I assure you I am fine."

"Then what kept you from sleep?"

The young woman looked away. "May I come in?" she asked, gesturing to the office behind him.

"Of course," Darcy responded, noting her reluctance to answer his question. He ushered his sister into the room, and she took a seat in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace. He followed her example, and took the other, opposite hers. "What's wrong, Georgie?" he asked once they were seated.

Again, she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Georgiana?" The concern was quickly changing to something stronger.

Finally, she looked up. "How did you know you loved Elizabeth?"

Darcy cocked his head, taken aback by the sudden question. "Well, I'm not quite sure," he said after a moment. "I suppose that after a few months in her acquaintance it occurred to me that I preferred her company to anyone else's."

Georgiana frowned, clearly not satisfied by his answer. "That's all?" she asked. "Simply that you preferred her company?"

Despite himself, Darcy smiled, remembering the conversation he and Elizabeth shared after he secured her father's blessing. "If it is truly an account of my falling in love you want, Georgie, perhaps you should speak with Elizabeth. She can give a far livelier retelling than I."

Georgiana leaned back in her chair. "No I can't ask Elizabeth," she said, more to herself rather than to him.

Darcy caught it though, and wondered what could be plaguing Georgiana so thoroughly that she felt she couldn't speak with Elizabeth who, after becoming her sister-in-law, quickly became the young girl's chief confidante. He began to question her again, but was interrupted.

"How did you know Elizabeth loved you?" she asked.

"Georgiana, what is this all about? Has something happened?" his mind cast about for what could have brought this strange behavior on. The day had seemed quite normal to him; they had passed the morning together, and Georgiana had seemed perfectly fine. They had spent the afternoon with a few other families picnicking on the grounds of a nearby estate (Georgiana had refused to accept his excuse of a headache saying that she would not allow him to become a hermit in the absence of his wife). Though vaguely tiresome without Elizabeth's lively presence, the afternoon had been pleasant enough. The families were kind, and Georgiana, though not entirely cured of her natural shyness, had performed admirably. Now that he considered the question though, Darcy did recall that his sister's behavior later in the evening had been more reserved. Unbidden, memories of Elizabeth's laughing rebukes about his alleged "blindness" returned, along with a specific list of just who was in attendance at the picnic. "Is this about Captain Morland?"

Georgiana's blush was enough to tell him the answer, and Darcy made a note to inform his wife that once again, she was right.

"Do you regard him?" The question was bluntly stated, and calm enough to mask the onslaught of emotions running through Darcy's head. Logic informed him that as his sister had been out in society for over a year such a situation as this was bound to occur sooner or later, but now, on its conception, Darcy found he was quite unprepared. He spared a moment to wish that this had not happened with Elizabeth away, but alas, here they were.

Across the way, Georgiana seemed equally uncomfortable with her emotions, and couldn't bring herself to do more than nod in confirmation of Darcy's question.

Darcy leaned back in his chair. Though it was the response he had been expecting, he found that he was little happier with it than he was with a mystery ailment. A newfound dislike for Morland arose in his chest that really the man did not deserve.

"He proposed to me this afternoon." Georgiana said quietly, hands wringing in her lap, still unable to lift her eyes to her brother's.

"He proposed? Good God, Georgiana, you've hardly known the man for half a year!"

If it was possible for the young woman to look more mortified, she did.

Darcy felt a surge of guilt at his sister's obvious distress, and softened his tone accordingly. "And how did you respond?"

Georgiana bit her lip. "I told him I would consider it."

"And have you?"

A wry smiled brushed the edges of her lips. "That's what I'm trying to do right now, Fitzwilliam."

And Darcy recognized her subtle plea for help. He sighed. "What can I do?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair and running his hands nervously along the edges of his mouth, again wishing Elizabeth wasn't half way across the country.

Georgiana fidgeted slightly in her chair. "I'm not sure exactly. I love him, at least I think I do."

Darcy raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"Well I've never really been in love before, Fitzwilliam; I'm not sure how it feels!" she said, glaring at her brother. "And your explanation was far from helpful." She glanced down. "What Wickham and I had—" she paused. "It wasn't love, I know that now, but at the time I was sure it was. How can I tell the difference?"

Darcy frowned, unhappy with the mention of the man who had caused his family so much grief. "How do you feel when you're with him? Captain Morland, I mean," he asked after a moment.

Georgiana looked down thoughtfully. "I don't know." She paused, again biting her bottom lip. Finally: "I feel light. And happy." She looked up. "As if I could do anything in the world."

"As though you prefer his company to anyone else's?" Darcy asked, slight smile on his face.

"Yes." With that, Georgiana stood and began pacing the length of rug between her armchair and fireplace somewhat frantically. "And when I'm with him, and laughing and happy, I tell myself that that is love, but, Fitzwilliam, when I come home, a little voice in my head reminds me that I felt happy with Wickham too." She paused, but started again before her brother could interject. "I know that you must think that I was just a silly naïve child, Fitzwilliam, but he made me feel like I was only woman in the world, and if I could be so wrong once, what on earth is stopping it from happening again?"

"Georgiana…" Darcy stood as well, moving to intercept his sister's mad pacing. He caught her, but before he could say anything, she buried her head in his shoulder.

"Fitzwilliam, he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him." Her voice was muffled by his coat.

"I know."

"He asked me to marry him and I told him I would think about it." She looked up at him. "If this is truly love, shouldn't I be sure? Shouldn't I know?"

"I'm afraid that's not the way the world works, Georgie."

"I love him, I know that much." Her voice was firm in her decision.

"Then why aren't you sure?"

She looked at him, turmoil resting in the lines in her brow and chin, clearly trying to decide whether or not to tell him something. "Because if I'm being honest, I loved Wickham as well." She smiled, but Darcy could see the darkening of tears in her eyes. "I can only speak to my own feelings not to his."

Her words broke Darcy's heart. In the back of his mind he had always known that this day would come, that despite Darcy foiling his plot, Wickham had hurt his sister. The evidence of his failings as a guardian stood squarely before him; Georgiana should be radiant with joy, the man she loved had proposed to her, but here she was, pacing like a madwoman, and for the life of him, Darcy had no idea how to make it better.

So he did what he could; he guided them to a chair and stroked her hair gently until she spoke.

"How did you know Elizabeth loved you?" she asked again. "Really loved _you_ , not Pemberley or your status or our money." She looked up at her brother and her face reddened as she realized the implications of the question. "Not that Elizabeth was ever interested in anything aside from-"

Darcy chuckled and shushed her. "I know what you meant." He paused, before chuckling again. "Trust me, Georgiana, I sincerely hope that you won't have to discover Captain Morland's true feelings like I did Elizabeth's."

"What happened?" Georgiana asked, clearly surprised. Though she had known that her brother and sister-in-law had not exactly had a traditional courtship, she knew little of the particulars.

Darcy sighed before acquiescing and launching into the story. "I realized my own feelings after some weeks acquaintance with Elizabeth, and, as you know, did my best to distance myself from her, believing any connection between the two of us ill-conceived." He paused, ignoring Georgiana's compulsory _humph_ on his wife's behalf. "I did my best to forget her, and convinced myself I was succeeding until we met unexpectedly at Rosings Park, I visiting my Aunt, and her Mrs. Collins."

"And your feelings returned full-force," Georgiana muttered happily into his coat, getting swept up in the romance of it all despite herself.

"Yes, they did," he said quietly.

"And you realized it was ridiculous to think that you could ever forget her."

"I did," Darcy acknowledged. He shifted in the chair, adjusting her head so it lay on his shoulder. "And I confessed my feelings to her."

Georgiana sat up, looking at him intently. "But what made you sure of her feelings for you?"

"To be honest, Georgie, the thought of how she felt barely crossed my mind."

All romantic picturesque scenes shattered from the girl's head. "What?"

Darcy sighed and tried his best to explain his actions. "You must understand, Georgie, I had spent my entire life as a Darcy of Pemberley, the thought that she would be unhappy with my interest in her never occurred to me. I didn't think she loved me, but I believed she liked me well enough, and I believed that given time and my own feelings, love would grow on her side as well."

"Fitzwilliam!" she cried, clearly scandalized.

Darcy laughed. "But you know, Elizabeth, and she would have none of it."

"She turned you down?" though she had known from the vague timeline of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship that they couldn't have gotten engaged so early, Georgiana was still surprised.

A smile appeared on Darcy's face. "Unequivocally. She made it abundantly clear that she had no concern for who I was or the grandiose of my estate. She disliked me and would therefore never be moved to enter into an engagement."

"Good for her!" Georgiana said, glaring at her brother. After a moment though, her face softened. "Fitzwilliam," she said seriously. "I had no idea. I'm sorry to have brought it up."

"Think nothing of it." Again Darcy smiled. "As I'm sure you've gathered, Elizabeth's words, though scathing to say the least, turned out not to be entirely accurate seeing as the fifth anniversary of our wedding is fast approaching."

"Still, I know how it feels to love someone who doesn't love you back. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Well I'm glad."

Georgiana looked at him, confusion evident on her face.

"Elizabeth was, as I've come to realize is often the case, right. I acted abominably towards her. And besides, a few months later when I asked her again, and her response was quite the opposite, I could be absolutely certain that she loved me for who I was as a person, not my position in life."

Georgiana smiled. "Yes, well I'm not sure that system of discovering others' feelings will work in my case."

"No it won't," Darcy said fondly. "You are utterly charming in everything you do. Any man in the world would be happy to call you his wife."

Georgiana blushed at the compliment, but quickly her expression turned serious once more. "But how do I know that he truly wishes to marry me because of me, and not because of my thirty-thousand pound dowry?"

"You could always treat him poorly and see if that has any effect on his interest. I would be more than happy to give you some ideas," he said, eyes alight with laughter.

"Fitzwilliam!" Georgiana said, slapping his chest playfully but Darcy was happy to see a smile on her face once more. "I'm being serious!"

"From my observations of Captain Morland, he seems to be an upstanding gentleman," Darcy said, for a moment putting his feelings of brotherly protection aside. When Georgiana still looked unconvinced, he tried a different route. "Elizabeth is quite observant you know," he said, gauging his sister for any reaction.

The girl lifted her head up, and looked at him intently. "Is she?"

"Yes. For the past few weeks, she has been insisting that there was some attachment between the Captain and yourself." Darcy paused. "I was unsure, but Georgie, for what it's worth, the idea of a connection between the two of you made her very happy."

And that, her sister-in-law's approval, seemed to cinch the matter for Georgiana. "She believes he loves me?"

"I've never asked her specifically, but I am certain that she does." Darcy answered, trying not to be too offended at the fact that the young woman seemed to value his wife's opinion so much more than his own.

After a moment, Georgiana stood up, smoothing down her dress as she moved towards the door.

"Georgiana," Darcy called, and his sister turned back to look at him. "What are you going to tell Captain Morland?"

She smiled. "I believe I will tell him that he may court me. I love him, but I don't think I am ready for marriage quite yet."

Darcy leaned back in his seat, relieved. Though, through the course of their conversation, Darcy had accepted the idea of having the Captain as a brother-in-law, he was not particularly anxious for the change to come about quite yet. "I'm glad," he said.

With another smile and a kiss to her older brother's cheek, Georgiana exited the room, leaving Darcy alone again. He stood up and walked to a little table on the opposite wall. He poured a small glass of brandy and as he sipped it, he wished yet again for his wife's quick return. All this talk of love made him anxious to see his own beloved again, and, in that moment, he felt that Elizabeth couldn't arrive home fast enough.

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 **A/N Well there it is. I think its probably like a 1000 words too long, but it just kind of got away from me, and here we are. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it!**


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